Mates
by TheLadyMuse
Summary: After G Rev, some skeletons decide it's time to leap out of closets, particularly our Russians, and some Majestic brats. Pairs: Bolded paragraph inside, plus disclaimers.


**Tala and Ekaelina, Bryan and Tamsyn, Kai and Mischa, Spencer and Ekaterina, Ian and Anya, Robert and Andromeda, Ariadne and Johnny. **

**ShadowDancer was created using Nalini Singh's SnowDancer as a template.**

Tamsyn Ivanov was not easily amused. It took a lot of effort, to get her to relax her steel spine and at least loosen her grip on her discipline. Every ShadowDancer knew why Tamsyn kept a steel hold on herself, especially emotion, when she outwardly had the world. Her fiery sheet of waistlength hair, indigo eyes and pale complexion made her look delicate, despite being less than half a foot shorter than six foot. Most people took a while to realize she was made of bone and muscle, but it took less time than with Kalina and Katya. The training salle, sprayed onto the hardwood floor of the old school gymnasium in grey spray paint, meant something. Of course it did. It was lost on none that the place where many had recieved education without fear- an education unlike their own- was their current residence. Tamsyn had marked out the salle within hours of their arrival a year ago. Now, she stood in taut silence, mentally preparing for the next excruciating exercise, a fast fury of two swords. As she swung, her left blade struck metal. Her eyes flashed open to see that the intruder of her salle was none other than her alpha, Kalina. Grinning, she switched her swords so her right katana blocked Kalina's light double-edged. Sheathing her lefthand katana, she threw herself into battle with her only equal in ShadowDancer, the only one she allowed to see what it did to her to not have Bryan there.

Katya Hiwatari lived a lie. She was pretty, like her twin sister, able to heal any hurt in her path, but still. She missed Spencer. His silly, proud grin when she performed a complex healing and still had enough energy to walk on her own two feet. The way he so easily healed others and lent her his strength. Most of all, she missed the way he trusted her. No matter if it was a patient or something else, he had always trusted and respected her. He hadn't cared that she wasn't Kalina's right hand. But she'd made her choice. If she saw Spencer again, she wasn't sure she could contain herself, but it was a small matter. She'd sworn to help Tamsyn get her revenge, sworn to get her own. Someday,she could and would drop to her knees and beg Spencer to forgive her, but not soon.

Mischa Kuznetsov skulked in the shadows. Since Kai had chosen to let his sadistic grandfather wipe his memory to protect her, she had done what she could to forget she just wanted to die. Maybe it was melodramatic, but she was tired. Her foresight told her that Tala, Spencer, Bryan and Ian would sweep her friends up and not let them go, given the chance. Foresight, unfortunately, did not work for the bearer, or one who'd touched their heart. Which suited her fine. Once they had proof, and her friends were happy, she'd either wander until her death, or perhaps kill herself. It was more expedient, and as Tamsyn had said "You've earned whatever you want Mischa." What she really wanted was for Kai to remember her, to look at her as if she was more. Cursing, she entered the building that possibly held the last piece they needed.

Anya Petrov loved computers. Almost as much as she loved Ian. They'd been young, but it had been understood that they were a team, a tech team none could beat. Ian . . . . . . She couldn't bear it, that he might have forgotten her, might even now be kissing a young Russian girl. The possibility shredded her heart. Tamsyn was so lucky. Bryan not only wielded the same animal, he wielded the same element. Everyone said they'd had a true mating, and they had. Their intense love had burned brighter than Tala and Kalina's subtler flame. As much as both falcons loved discipline, they were madly passionate, but only for each other. Tamsyn likely didn't doubt Bryan's love. Kalina was just as lucky. Tala was completely devoted to her, the way an alpha wolf loved his mate, forever, but dignified, quiet. Sighing, Anya returned to her console, thinking again of a short boy with wild purple hair.

Kalina spun and danced, crossing swords with her best friend other than Tala. Ariadne and Andromeda had started dancing in the next salle, honing their skill with stilettoes and claymore. With a last whirl, she bowed to Tamsyn. "Think it's time to practice throwing?" Tamsyn shrugged, sheathing her katana. "Hand to hand, first." Nodding, then bowing, Kalina launched herself at Tamsyn full speed, catching her friend by surprise. Spinning, dodging, cursing and sniggering for over half an hour made for a decent distraction, until they began practicing throwing knives. Although Kalina usually used shurikens, she preferred to practice with smaller targets and bigger, heavier weapons. Tamsyn liked throwing knives, end of story. Exhausted, Kalina made her way to her room after her shower. They'd been on edge since the Bega incident. Grinding her teeth at the reminder that Tala had been injured and she'd been unable to help him, Kalina scanned the news, knowing Anya would have brought her anything of real importance.

Elsewhere

Bryan Kuznetsov hated his life. Tamsyn was dead, because of him. Raped, tortured, and killed- because of him. Kai, who might have been a friend and brother in law once upon a time, had seemed to forget Mischa had ever existed. Tala was always sulking because Kalina was gone, killed in the same manner as his beautiful Tamsyn. Spencer and Ian were always sad, added to Bryan exercising his psycho tendencies. Everyone thought they were icy, violent machines. They were just sad, tired, grieving teenaged boys, who wouldn't betray revered memories even to heal.

A month Later

Before anyone could speak at the opening ceremonies for the fourth World Championship since the Biovolt Female squadron had disappeared, their leaders apparently dead, a girl clad in black, carrying a canvas bag strode over to Dickinson. Flanked by two girls, obviously sisters, the bladers observed them curiously. Tala's flat voice carried over the silence. "Azarev, Karises, what in Her name are you doing here?" The leader, obviously of Romanian descent, turned to look at Tala, her wing girls mirroring her. Tala stood, arms crossed, looking down his nose at the girls, Bryan and Spencer flanking him. Ian stood to the back, fists clenched, Kai's eyes snapped open. Kai snarled. "We pay our penance every moment of our lives, so why are you here?" Azarev dropped into a deep, respectful curtsey, the Karises still mirroring her every move. "All due respect, Tala, Kai, but you've paid penance for nothing. They are alive." Tala bit out "All due respect, Kahirin, but the pathologist-" "Was blackmailed into lying." Tala's eyes narrowed. "I'm fucking hallucinating." Kahirin pulled out a cell phone and pressed speed dial. "ShadowDancer. Confirm your identity." Ian gasped at the voice, Spencer shook his head. Kahirin intoned. "Kahirin Azarev, former Biovolt Female Section inmate, sister of Kaziel and Kade Azarev. Current post: ShadowDancer Maternal Soldier, reporting directly to Queen ShadowDancer." The voice paused. "That is correct, Soldier Azarev. Who am I?" Kahirin held up her hand to the Blitzkrieg boys. "Technical Systems Lieutenant Anastasia Petrov, your mated name was Anya Papov." "Correct. Reason I'm no longer mated?" "You really want me to answer that?" "Soldier Azarev." "You faked your death with Alpha Ekaelina Hiwatari and Lieutenants Tamsyn Ivanov, Mischani Kuznetsov, as well as Lieutenant Healer Ekaterina Hiwatari. Your goal was to throw everyone, including your mates and brothers off your trail, so you could find solid evidence against Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov. All five of you have pretty much wrecked yourselves in the quest for truth and freedom, and for some odd reason, feel unworthy of your mates." Anastasia sounded tired. "We've been over this, Kahirin. We abandoned them when they needed us most." Kahirin argued "What about Tamsyn?" "She's different. Boris would have killed her to transform Bryan into a killing machine." "Isn't that what you did?" "I wish we hadn't. But Kalina and Tamsyn were so determined, we thought it would only be a few months." The elder of the two Karises sighed. "Identifying myself as ShadowDancer Soldier Andromeda Karis. I was abducted by BioVolt at age thirteen from the street of my family's Munich home." The younger added "ShadowDancer Maternal Soldier Ariadne Karis. I was abducted from my family's Glasgow home at age ten, by BioVolt." "Your best friends before the abductions, nicknames only?" "Johnny." "Robby." The two older Majestics blinked in unison. "Correct. What is it?" Ariadne twisted the hem of her shirt. "I could have gone back, any time I wanted. My parents know I'm alive, so why did I not return to the friend who was my entire world?" Andromeda answered. "For the same reason as me. What if he didn't want to see me? What if he'd forgotten the tiny girl from Greece with a Scottish backbone?" Ariadne interjected "What if I'd imagined the intensity of our bond? Come on, you lot, Kalina, Tam, Missy, Katya, Anya, why have you not returned to your mates?" A colder voice answered. "I failed my mate when I didn't break free of Balkov's hold." A darker voice answered. "What right had I to expect him to love me when I ran like a coward, away from battle?" Another voice more resigned said "I ran to my sister instead of my mate, what does that tell you?" The dark voice went down the line again. "Present the evidence, then I release you from your oaths to me. Andromeda, Ariadne? If your guys were half as fantastic as you remember, they'll haul you in close and not let go. Fare thee well, ShadowDancers." Before the line could be cut, Tala let out a strangled "Kalina?" The dark voice squeaked. "Tala? What the- Kahirin, where are you?" Kahirin smirked. "The beyblading World Championships, of course. First off, the world needs to see, second, your mates needed to hear your self recriminations." A different voice, kind of choked, whispered "I-Is Kai there?" Kai jumped. "Mischa? Please-" 'Yes, it's me." He closed his eyes. "Thank God. I've been trying to get up the nerve to ask your brother if you were really dead." Mischa sniffed. "He would've strangled you." Bryan snarled "Tamsyn, you never failed me. I thought you were dead, which was tearing whats' left of my soul to shreds." Tamsyn whispered. "He took me from you, and I was so horrified, I couldn't-" He interrupted "But why were you so horrified?" Tamsyn let out a breath. "More than my own life, that's what you mean to me, Bryan. Why are you simply accepting that I'm alive, after all this time?" Bryan grinned fot the first time in a long time. "Tam, I've loved you from the first time I saw you. My life was barren without you. I was so depressed, your brother threatened to drag me to the shrink. Of course I want you back." Tala sounded giddy. "Kalina, you were there, weren't you? When I was in the hospital?" Kahirin laughed "Of course she was. After Katya dragged her across the country, scared out of her wits." Andromeda snapped to attention. "Speaking of which, I have something to tell Raymond Kon, Garland Tzebult and Brooklyn Kingston." Her hard green eyes scanned them. "You never know who is suffering terror, as Bryan was during his long ago battle against Kon. As Kalina suffered when she went into shock because the mate bond was not dead, only long dormant with Tala's belief she was. The same happened to Mischa because Voltaire suppressed Kai's memories of her." Ariadne finished. "In short, mating is forever, and our pact members suffered because you or someone else went to far. This time is the reign of ShadowDancer, and if you can accept we have five mated pairs, we will wecome you." Johnny stared at her. "Who are you?" She responded "Ariadne Athena Karis, younger sister of Andromeda and Damian, first level maternal soldier of ShadowDancer, under the command of Lieutenant Mischa Hiwatari." Johnny swallowed. "No, I mean where has my friend gone?" Ariadne met his confused gaze. "She was stolen from her family, and had it beaten into her head that she is worth nothing. Not of love, or affection, not even as a whore." Before Robert could speak, Andromeda snarled "We were made warriors. Our appetites changed."


End file.
